Harry and Meghan’s Aussie tour schedule revealed: Where you can meet the royals
Next month, Aussie royal fans will have the special opportunity to get close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their Australian tour.
Last night, Kensington Palace announced that Prince Harry and Meghan will visit Sydney, Melbourne, Dubbo and Fraser Island during their tour.
The couple’s visit is centred around the 2018 Sydney Invictus Games, the international sporting event for injured and ill veterans that was founded by Prince Harry.
The couple will arrive in Sydney on October 16 for a day and then they will spend October 17 in Dubbo, in rural New South Wales.
Harry and Meghan will then head to Melbourne on October 18, before returning to Sydney for the Invictus Games from October 19-21.
The opening ceremony for the games will be held on October 20.
On October 22, the royals will travel to Fraser Island in Queensland to see a completed Queen’s Canopy project, which aims to restore rainforests across the Commonwealth.
Harry and Meghan will then visit Fiji and Tonga, before returning to Sydney on October 26, so they can attend the Invictus Games closing ceremony the following day.
It is expected the couple will have time allocated in their itinerary to visit community groups involved with young people, focusing on employment, training and community leadership.
Royal spectators also expect that the newlyweds will take time to visit a community group that assists farmers struggling with the drought.
The 16-day tour will mark the couple’s first major international tour and there will be several opportunities for the public to see the royals.
Kensington Palace revealed in a statement that the governments of Australia and New Zealand had invited the couple to visit.
At the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, the royals will also visit Fiji and Tonga.
“The programme across these four Commonwealth countries will focus on youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts — including the dedication of several new Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy projects — and the recovery and rehabilitation of servicemen and women through the Invictus Games Sydney 2018,” a spokesperson said last night.
Following the Invictus Games closing ceremony in Sydney, the royals will travel to Wellington on October 28.
It is expected Harry and Meghan will meet New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden and her newborn Neve Te Aroha during their time in the country.
The pair will visit Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand on October 29 and then head to Auckland on the 30th.
To conclude their trip, Harry and Meghan will visit Rotura in New Zealand on October 31 before heading home.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he is looking forward to welcoming Prince Harry and Meghan into Australia.
“Their visit will be an opportunity to promote the incredible achievements of Invictus athletes from around the world, and showcase Australian programmes promoting youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts,’’ he said.